Chick sorting and counting apparatus

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for supporting a chicken vaccination device and for facilitating a sorting of the male and female baby chicks into separate trays subsequent to the vaccination thereof, which additionally provides a system for counting the chick as they are deposited into each of the respective trays and actuating an alarm device for indicating to the operator or vaccine administrator that a tray contains a pre-determined number of chicks and accordingly, that a new tray must be substituted therefor.

United States Patent Reynolds 1 51 May 9,1972

[54] CHICK SORTING AND COUNTING APPARATUS Lamar W. Reynolds, Gainesville, Ga.

[73] Assignee: Beak-O-Vac, Inc., Gainesville, Ga.

[22] Filed: June 17, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 47,032

[72] Inventor:

[52] U.S.Cl ..209/123 [51 Int. Cl. ..B07c 7/00 [58] Field ofSearch ..209/122, l23;2l l/lO; 193/2; 235/98 C [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4 2,645,424 7/1953 Wright ..209/122 X McKenzie ..209/122 3,146,944 9/1964 Grippi, Jr ..235/98.5

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 267,918 4/1950 Switzerland ..211 10 Primary E.\-aminer-Allen N. Knowles Att0rneyNewton, Hopkins & Ormsby [5 7] ABSTRACT Apparatus for supporting a chicken vaccination device and for facilitating a sorting of the male and female baby chicks into separate trays subsequent to the vaccination thereof, which additionally provides a system for counting the chick as they are deposited into each of the respective trays and actuating an alarm device for indicating to the operator or vaccine administrator that a tray contains a pre-determined number of chicks and accordingly, that a new tray must be substituted therefor.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMAY 9 I972 SHEET 1 OF 2 INVENTOR LAMAR W. REYNOLDS ATTORNEYS CHICK SORTING AND COUNTING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to the vaccinating and beak trimming of chicks and the like and, more particularly, to a support stand for chick vaccinating apparatus and a device for aiding a person administering the vaccine in sorting the male and female chicks into separate groups following vaccination thereof.

An apparatus for trimming the beak of a fowl such as, for example, a baby chick, and simultaneously injecting a vaccine into the oral cavity and sinuses thereof is provided by US. Pat. No. 3,434,474, issued Mar. 25, 1969, to Lamar W. Reynolds. This apparatus comprises a stationary beak-supporting device for forcing open the beak of a chick when the chick is manually held and moved thereagainst and which is automatically operative, upon reception of the beak thereon, for spraying a vaccine into the oral cavity and sinuses of the fowl and for actuating a heated cutting blade which trims the upper half of the beak and cauterizes the same.

After vaccinating and de-beaking the chicks, it is necessary to separate the males and the females and place them in shipping cartons or the like for transporting to other stations. Obviously, in readying the chicks for being transported, the number of chicks in each carton must be determined for accounting purposes. Heretofore, in the operation of the aforedescribed apparatus, following the vaccination and debeaking process, the sex of the chick is determined by the operator of the device, who thereafter has been required to manually deposit the chick into a container or carton and mentally keep an account of the number he has placed therein. This method is obviously slow, especially where the operator must move from one side to another to arrive at the proper carton for the sex of the bird in hand, and is conducive to placing an improper number of chicks in the cartons because of the difficulty in accurately keeping count of the number of each sex placed in the respective cartons.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for use with a chick vaccinating and de-beaking apparatus which permits the operator to readily sort the males into separate containers and keep an accurate count of each.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for use with a chick vaccinating and de-beaking apparatus for sorting the male and female chicks into separate containers and automatically counting the number deposited in each.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device for use with the chick vaccinating and de-beaking apparatus which permits the operator to readily sort the male and female chicks into separate containers and automatically signals the operator whenever a pre-determined number of chicks are deposited in either container.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by a device providing a support stand for the vaccinating and de-beaking apparatus and further including three shelves, one of which is disposed directly below the de-beaker-vaccinator for supporting a tray of mixed baby chicks being brought to the debeaker-vaccinator, and the remaining two of which are disposed therebelow in side-by-side relation for supporting the trays, respectively, for the male and for the female chicks as they are sorted following the vaccination and de-beaking thereof. A pair of chutes are provided between the upper shelf and the lower pair of shelves for dropping the vaccinated and de-beaked chicks therethrough into the proper tray, upon detection of the sex thereof. The light source and a photocell connected to a counter are positioned on each of the chutes for detecting the passage of a chick therethrough and are operative for actuating a warning light or audible signal upon counting a predetermined number of chicks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Still other objects and many of the attendant features and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same become better understood from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals designate like or corresponding parts in the several views thereof and wherein:

FIG. I is a front perspective view of a chick de-beaker-vaccinator equipped with a sorting and counting apparatus constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view in section of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a front view of the sorting and counting apparatus of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF AN ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings and, more particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, an overall view is is shown of a de-beaking and vaccinating apparatus generally indicated by the numeral 10 mounted on a support stand 20 constructed according to the present invention. The de-beaker-vaccinator 10 is the same device shown and described in the aforementioned US. Pat. No. 3,434,474 and comprises a beak-receiving support or manifold 11 having a plurality of orifices or ports 12 therein for delivering vaccine to the oral cavity of a chick when it is manually urged thereagainst. This manifold 11 is pivotally mounted in a housing 13 on a pair of rods 14 for permitting the beak of the chick to be brought into contact with a heated cutting bar or blade 15, whereby the beak of the chick is cauterized as the tip is trimmed. Tubular lines 16 and 17 connect the manifold 11 with a sump 18 and a pump 19 located on a base platform 20 of the support stand 30, the tubular lines extending vertically behind a telescoping support column 21 for supplying vaccine from the sump 18 to the manifold 11 and for returning the overflow therefrom back to the sump. Vertical adjustment of the de-beaker-vaccinator 10 on the support column 21 is made by loosening a bolt 22 and either extending or retracting the column 21. The entire device is made transportable by mounting the same upon a plurality of wheels 23 which are shown being rotatably secured to the base platform 20.

A tray 31 is supported below the de-beaker-vaccinator 10 on a central shelf comprising a pair of arms 32 which slope downwardly from a back portion 33 thereof affixed to the telescoping tubular column 21, the tray 31 thus being lower in the front to make the same more accessible to the operator. The tray 31 is normally filled with an uncounted number of mixed baby chicks which are being delivered to the apparatus for the purpose of being vaccinated and having their long beaks trimmed. A pair of lugs 34 on the upper or rear portion of the arms 32 cooperate with a leg 35 or the like on the rear edge of the tray 31 for preventing the tray from sliding ofi' the shelf defined by these arms.

Directly in front of the central shelf or tray 31 of mixed chicks and slightly below the level thereof are a pair of sideby-side, substantially funnelled-fonning chutes 36 which are supported on an elongated horizontally disposed bar 37 affixed at at its ends to the forward ends of the arms 32. Thus, as a chick is pulled from the tray 31 directly below the debeaker-vaccinator 10 and put through the de-beaking and vaccinating process, the operator determines by hand the sex of the small chic, then puts the male chicks in one chute 36 and the female chicks in the other chute 36. Two other horizontally disposed trays 38 and 39 are positioned in side-by-side relation below the chutes 36 on a pair of shelves 40 and 41, respectively, supported from the up-right, telescoping column 21 for receiving the male and female chicks as they are dropped through the chutes.

A light source 42 is positioned between the two chutes 36 adjacent an apperture 43 in each. Oppositely disposed from the appertures 43 on the other side of each chute 36 is a photocell 44 which is electrically connected in a suitable circuit through a counter 45 to a warning light 46 and an audible signalling device, not shown. A chick dropping through one of the chutes 36 thereby breaks the light beam from the source 42 to the photocell 44, giving rise to an impulse which actuates the counter 45. Each counter may be initially set for the pre-determined number of chicks to be deposited in the respective trays, and operatively counts down until it reaches zero, whereupon the warning light 46 comes on and the audible signal is actuated for signalling the operator to remove the filled tray and replenish the shelf with a new empty tray 38 or 39 as the case may be.

The mode of operation of the sorting and counting device of the present invention is readily apparent from the description thereof and in brief summerization, referring to FIG. 2 in particular, it may be seen that a chick is picked up from the tray 31 by an operator standing in front of the device, and when a chick beak is pressed against the manifold 11, the manifold 11 pivots on rod supports 14 permitting the upper beak to contact the heated cutting bar 15 and simultaneously to be sprayed with a vaccine through the ports 12 in the manifold, When the sex of the chick is detennined by the operator, the chick is dropped through one of the chutes 36 positioned below the tray 31 and directly in front of the operator, according to its sex. The light beam through each chute is broken each time a chick is dropped therethrough, thus actuating the respective counter for that chute. Upon loading of a tray with the desired number of chicks, a signal is automatically given which tells the operator to replace the same with a new or empty tray.

Although described in relation to a chick de-beaking and vaccinating apparatus, the invention has other practical applications wherever similar sorting measures must be taken.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is to be understood, therefore, that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than is specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for sorting and counting chicks or the like comprising; a support stand a supporting shelf mounted on said stand, said shelf sloping downwardly from its rear edge to its forward edge and adapted to receive a tray of chicks; a pair of downwardly tapering chutes mounted on the forward edge of said shelf, said chutes adjoining each other at one of their upper edges and extending thence downwardly and away from each other to provide a V-shaped space between them, a light source located near the open bottom of said space, an opening in each chute wall adjacent said light source, a photocell located in the opposite wall of each chute, opposite said light source, whereby a beam of light will be projected across each chute to a photocell and will be interrupted by the passage of a chick down the chute, two trays supported on said support stand below and one on each side of said supporting shelf, each of said chutes delivering chicks to one of said trays, a counter associated with each of said photocells and adapted to be actuated whenever the light ray in the chute with which said photocell is associated is broken by the passage of a chick and a warning signal adapted to be actuated by said counter when a predetermined number of chicks have passed down said chute and into the tray associated therewith.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said support stand comprises two telescoping sections and means for securing them in adjusted positions to vary the height of said stand.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said supporting shelf comprises a vertical portion secured to said stand and a forwardly and downwardly extending arm at each end of said vertical portion, and wherein each of said arms is provided on its upper surface with a lug adapted to engage a leg or the like on the rear of a tray to restr ain for war d movement of said tray. 

1. Apparatus for sorting and counting chicks or the like comprising; a support stand a supporting shelf mounted on said stand, said shelf sloping downwardly from its rear edge to its forward edge and adapted to receive a tray of chicks; a pair of downwardly tapering chutes mounted on the forward edge of said shelf, said chutes adjoining each other at one of their upper edges and extending thence downwardly and away from each other to provide a V-shaped space between them, a light source located near the open bottom of said space, an opening in each chute wall adjacent said light source, a photocell located in the opposite wall of each chute, opposite said light source, whereby a beam of light will be projected across each chute to a photocell and will be interrupted by the passage of a chick down the chute, two trays supported on said supPort stand below and one on each side of said supporting shelf, each of said chutes delivering chicks to one of said trays, a counter associated with each of said photocells and adapted to be actuated whenever the light ray in the chute with which said photocell is associated is broken by the passage of a chick and a warning signal adapted to be actuated by said counter when a predetermined number of chicks have passed down said chute and into the tray associated therewith.
 2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said support stand comprises two telescoping sections and means for securing them in adjusted positions to vary the height of said stand.
 3. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said supporting shelf comprises a vertical portion secured to said stand and a forwardly and downwardly extending arm at each end of said vertical portion, and wherein each of said arms is provided on its upper surface with a lug adapted to engage a leg or the like on the rear of a tray to restrain forward movement of said tray. 